purgan
11-11 10:32 AM
Randell,
Congratulations on getting the attention of the Times, and your tireless efforts in spreading word of the broken legal immigration system.
===
New York Times
Immigration, a Love Story
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/fashion/12green.html
WHEN Kenneth Harrell Jr., an Assemblies of God minister in South Carolina, invited Gricelda Molina to join his Spanish ministry in 2000, it didn’t take him long to realize he had found the woman he had been waiting for. On the telephone and during romantic strolls they talked about their goals, their commitment to God and how many children each would like to have. Six months flew by, and he asked her to marry him.
“She’s a beautiful woman with a beautiful spirit, very gentle, very sincere,” Mr. Harrell said. But Ms. Molina, a factory worker, was also an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, who had crossed into the United States twice, having once been deported. Mr. Harrell, the pastor of Airport Assembly of God church in West Columbia, said he was not too concerned. “Whatever came, we would walk through this path together,” he said.
Mr. Harrell and Ms. Molina, both 35, married in 2001, in a large wedding attended by family from both sides and blessed by pastors in English and Spanish. But the Harrells no longer live together, not because of divorce, but because Mrs. Harrell, now the mother of two sons and four months pregnant with their third child, has been deported. She had applied for legal residency, or a green card, with her new husband as her sponsor, Mr. Harrell said, but she was sent back to Honduras 20 months ago because of her illegal entries and told she would have to wait 10 years to try again.
“Illegals are pouring over the border,” said Mr. Harrell, who has visited his family five times. “We meet them, we fall in love with them, we marry them. And then the government tears your family apart, and they take no responsibility for letting them in, in the first place.”
Falling in love and marching toward marriage is not always easy, but a particular brand of heartache and hardship can await when one of the partners is in this country illegally. The uncertainty of such a union has only been heightened by the national debate over illegal immigration. Whether the new Democratic leadership in Congress will help people like the Harrells remains to be seen.
It is hard to quantify how many people find themselves in Mr. Harrell’s situation, but with stepped-up enforcement in recent years, deportations have increased, and so have fears of losing a loved one in that way. (There were 168,310 removals in 2005, compared with 108,000 in 2000, immigration officials said.)
And that is only one byproduct of love between two people with such uneven places in society, immigration lawyers say. Many relationships strain under the financial burden of hiring lawyers for what can turn into years of visiting government offices, producing pictures, tax records and other evidence of a legitimate marriage in the quest for legalization. And while instances of immigrants faking love for a green card are in the minority, according to immigration officials, some couples feel pressure to marry before they are ready, hoping that marriage will prevent a loved one’s deportation.
Raul Godinez, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said: “I ask people, ‘How much do you love this person? Because immigration is going to test your marriage.’ If you don’t feel it’s going to be a strong marriage, I wouldn’t do it.”
Many people may still believe that obtaining legal status through marriage is easy, because of periodic reports of marriage scams. In a three-year investigation called Operation Newlywed Game, immigration and customs enforcement agents caught more than 40 suspects in California for allegedly orchestrating sham marriages between hundreds of Chinese or Vietnamese nationals and United States citizens. But such fraud occurs in only a minority of cases, federal officials said.
In reality, immigration lawyers said, marrying a citizen does not automatically entitle the spouse to a green card and is only the first step in a long bureaucratic journey. The lawyers noted that changes in the law in the last five years have made this legalization path increasingly difficult, one worth choosing only if true love is at stake. (Other routes include sponsorship by immediate family members or an employer.)
The Harrells said they had no idea how difficult it could be and were shocked when Mrs. Harrell’s application for permanent residence was turned down, leaving them only 12 days to prepare for her departure. In that time, Mr. Harrell said, they decided that the children, now 4 and 3, would go with her. So Mr. Harrell obtained passports for them, and the church held a farewell service.
“It was very traumatic,” he said. “Our whole world was crashing around us.”
In Yoro, in north central Honduras, where Mrs. Harrell and the children live with her parents, she said the older boy constantly asks for his father, begging, “Let’s go to my papa’s house.” She has coped with her own dejection, too. “I know how much work he has over there,” she said by telephone. “He needs his wife.”
But even in the best of circumstances, when an immigrant enters the country legally, couples may have to rearrange their lives and defer their dreams.
Paola Emery, a jewelry designer, and her husband, Randall Emery, a computer consultant in Philadelphia, said they delayed having children and buying a house for the nearly four years it took the government to complete a background check for Mrs. Emery, who had entered the country from Colombia with a tourist visa and applied for permanent residency after they married in 2002.
Mrs. Emery, 27, said lawyers advised them it was not wise for her to risk trouble by visiting her close-knit family in Colombia and then trying to re-enter this country. She said she was absent through weddings, illnesses and even the kidnapping and rescue of an uncle.
“I felt like I was in jail,” Mrs. Emery said.
Officials with the Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department say that delays lasting years are rare, but some immigration lawyers say they see clients who wait three to four years for security clearance. Mrs. Emery and her husband, 34, sued Homeland Security over the delays, and she was finally cleared last May. By then Mr. Emery had helped form American Families United, a group of citizens who have sponsored immediate family members for immigration, and which advocates immigration-law change to keep families together. Immigration Services officials say they are not out to impede love or immigration. Nearly 260,000 spouses of citizens received permanent residency through marriage last year, out of 1.1 million people who became permanent residents, according to the Immigration Services office. “The goal is to give people who are eligible the benefit,” said Marie T. Sebrechts, its spokeswoman in Southern California. She said the agency does not comment on individual cases.
When a legal immigrant is sponsored by an American spouse, she said, the green card can be obtained in as little as six months. But with complications like an illegal entry, laws are not that benevolent, Ms. Sebrechts said. In those cases, the immigrant usually must return to the home country and wait 3 to 10 years to apply for residency, though waivers are sometimes granted.
Such obstacles are far from the minds of couples when they meet. And for some, so is the idea to question whether the beloved feels equally in love with them.
Sharyn T. Sooho, a divorce lawyer and a founder of divorcenet.com, a Web site for divorcing couples, said she has represented American spouses who realized too late that the person they married was more interested in a green card than in living happily ever after. “They feel conflicted, used and abused,” she said. “It’s a quick marriage, and suddenly the person who was so sweet is turning into a nightmare.”
But more often, said Carlina Tapia-Ruano, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, couples marry before they are ready because “there’s fear that if you don’t do this, somebody is going to get deported.”
Krystal Rivera, 18, a college student in Los Angeles, and her boyfriend fall into this group. Ms. Rivera is set on marrying in April 2008, even as she worries that it may put too much pressure on the relationship.
“I never wanted to follow the Hispanic ritual of getting married early,” said Ms. Rivera, a native of Los Angeles whose parents emigrated from Mexico.
She said she fell in love at 13 with a Mexican-born boy who sang in the church choir with her. “He started poking me, and I said ‘Stop it!’ ” she remembered.
Ms. Rivera is still in love with the boy, now 19, who was brought into the country illegally by his mother when he was 12. He goes to college and wants to become a teacher, while she hopes to become a doctor.
But for those plans to work, Ms. Rivera said, she needs to help him legalize his status. She said she has witnessed his frustration as he dealt with employers who didn’t pay what they owed him or struggled to find better jobs than his current one as a line cook. Because of his illegal status, he is unable to get a driver’s license or visit the brothers he left in Mexico. “We want to be normal,” Ms. Rivera said.
The Harrells, too, have decided to take charge. After months of exploring how to reunite the family and spending thousands of dollars on lawyers, Mr. Harrell has decided to leave his small congregation, sell his house and join his wife in Honduras. He will be a missionary for his church for a fraction of the $40,000 a year he makes as a minister.
Congratulations on getting the attention of the Times, and your tireless efforts in spreading word of the broken legal immigration system.
===
New York Times
Immigration, a Love Story
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/12/fashion/12green.html
WHEN Kenneth Harrell Jr., an Assemblies of God minister in South Carolina, invited Gricelda Molina to join his Spanish ministry in 2000, it didn’t take him long to realize he had found the woman he had been waiting for. On the telephone and during romantic strolls they talked about their goals, their commitment to God and how many children each would like to have. Six months flew by, and he asked her to marry him.
“She’s a beautiful woman with a beautiful spirit, very gentle, very sincere,” Mr. Harrell said. But Ms. Molina, a factory worker, was also an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, who had crossed into the United States twice, having once been deported. Mr. Harrell, the pastor of Airport Assembly of God church in West Columbia, said he was not too concerned. “Whatever came, we would walk through this path together,” he said.
Mr. Harrell and Ms. Molina, both 35, married in 2001, in a large wedding attended by family from both sides and blessed by pastors in English and Spanish. But the Harrells no longer live together, not because of divorce, but because Mrs. Harrell, now the mother of two sons and four months pregnant with their third child, has been deported. She had applied for legal residency, or a green card, with her new husband as her sponsor, Mr. Harrell said, but she was sent back to Honduras 20 months ago because of her illegal entries and told she would have to wait 10 years to try again.
“Illegals are pouring over the border,” said Mr. Harrell, who has visited his family five times. “We meet them, we fall in love with them, we marry them. And then the government tears your family apart, and they take no responsibility for letting them in, in the first place.”
Falling in love and marching toward marriage is not always easy, but a particular brand of heartache and hardship can await when one of the partners is in this country illegally. The uncertainty of such a union has only been heightened by the national debate over illegal immigration. Whether the new Democratic leadership in Congress will help people like the Harrells remains to be seen.
It is hard to quantify how many people find themselves in Mr. Harrell’s situation, but with stepped-up enforcement in recent years, deportations have increased, and so have fears of losing a loved one in that way. (There were 168,310 removals in 2005, compared with 108,000 in 2000, immigration officials said.)
And that is only one byproduct of love between two people with such uneven places in society, immigration lawyers say. Many relationships strain under the financial burden of hiring lawyers for what can turn into years of visiting government offices, producing pictures, tax records and other evidence of a legitimate marriage in the quest for legalization. And while instances of immigrants faking love for a green card are in the minority, according to immigration officials, some couples feel pressure to marry before they are ready, hoping that marriage will prevent a loved one’s deportation.
Raul Godinez, an immigration lawyer in Los Angeles, said: “I ask people, ‘How much do you love this person? Because immigration is going to test your marriage.’ If you don’t feel it’s going to be a strong marriage, I wouldn’t do it.”
Many people may still believe that obtaining legal status through marriage is easy, because of periodic reports of marriage scams. In a three-year investigation called Operation Newlywed Game, immigration and customs enforcement agents caught more than 40 suspects in California for allegedly orchestrating sham marriages between hundreds of Chinese or Vietnamese nationals and United States citizens. But such fraud occurs in only a minority of cases, federal officials said.
In reality, immigration lawyers said, marrying a citizen does not automatically entitle the spouse to a green card and is only the first step in a long bureaucratic journey. The lawyers noted that changes in the law in the last five years have made this legalization path increasingly difficult, one worth choosing only if true love is at stake. (Other routes include sponsorship by immediate family members or an employer.)
The Harrells said they had no idea how difficult it could be and were shocked when Mrs. Harrell’s application for permanent residence was turned down, leaving them only 12 days to prepare for her departure. In that time, Mr. Harrell said, they decided that the children, now 4 and 3, would go with her. So Mr. Harrell obtained passports for them, and the church held a farewell service.
“It was very traumatic,” he said. “Our whole world was crashing around us.”
In Yoro, in north central Honduras, where Mrs. Harrell and the children live with her parents, she said the older boy constantly asks for his father, begging, “Let’s go to my papa’s house.” She has coped with her own dejection, too. “I know how much work he has over there,” she said by telephone. “He needs his wife.”
But even in the best of circumstances, when an immigrant enters the country legally, couples may have to rearrange their lives and defer their dreams.
Paola Emery, a jewelry designer, and her husband, Randall Emery, a computer consultant in Philadelphia, said they delayed having children and buying a house for the nearly four years it took the government to complete a background check for Mrs. Emery, who had entered the country from Colombia with a tourist visa and applied for permanent residency after they married in 2002.
Mrs. Emery, 27, said lawyers advised them it was not wise for her to risk trouble by visiting her close-knit family in Colombia and then trying to re-enter this country. She said she was absent through weddings, illnesses and even the kidnapping and rescue of an uncle.
“I felt like I was in jail,” Mrs. Emery said.
Officials with the Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Homeland Security Department say that delays lasting years are rare, but some immigration lawyers say they see clients who wait three to four years for security clearance. Mrs. Emery and her husband, 34, sued Homeland Security over the delays, and she was finally cleared last May. By then Mr. Emery had helped form American Families United, a group of citizens who have sponsored immediate family members for immigration, and which advocates immigration-law change to keep families together. Immigration Services officials say they are not out to impede love or immigration. Nearly 260,000 spouses of citizens received permanent residency through marriage last year, out of 1.1 million people who became permanent residents, according to the Immigration Services office. “The goal is to give people who are eligible the benefit,” said Marie T. Sebrechts, its spokeswoman in Southern California. She said the agency does not comment on individual cases.
When a legal immigrant is sponsored by an American spouse, she said, the green card can be obtained in as little as six months. But with complications like an illegal entry, laws are not that benevolent, Ms. Sebrechts said. In those cases, the immigrant usually must return to the home country and wait 3 to 10 years to apply for residency, though waivers are sometimes granted.
Such obstacles are far from the minds of couples when they meet. And for some, so is the idea to question whether the beloved feels equally in love with them.
Sharyn T. Sooho, a divorce lawyer and a founder of divorcenet.com, a Web site for divorcing couples, said she has represented American spouses who realized too late that the person they married was more interested in a green card than in living happily ever after. “They feel conflicted, used and abused,” she said. “It’s a quick marriage, and suddenly the person who was so sweet is turning into a nightmare.”
But more often, said Carlina Tapia-Ruano, the president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, couples marry before they are ready because “there’s fear that if you don’t do this, somebody is going to get deported.”
Krystal Rivera, 18, a college student in Los Angeles, and her boyfriend fall into this group. Ms. Rivera is set on marrying in April 2008, even as she worries that it may put too much pressure on the relationship.
“I never wanted to follow the Hispanic ritual of getting married early,” said Ms. Rivera, a native of Los Angeles whose parents emigrated from Mexico.
She said she fell in love at 13 with a Mexican-born boy who sang in the church choir with her. “He started poking me, and I said ‘Stop it!’ ” she remembered.
Ms. Rivera is still in love with the boy, now 19, who was brought into the country illegally by his mother when he was 12. He goes to college and wants to become a teacher, while she hopes to become a doctor.
But for those plans to work, Ms. Rivera said, she needs to help him legalize his status. She said she has witnessed his frustration as he dealt with employers who didn’t pay what they owed him or struggled to find better jobs than his current one as a line cook. Because of his illegal status, he is unable to get a driver’s license or visit the brothers he left in Mexico. “We want to be normal,” Ms. Rivera said.
The Harrells, too, have decided to take charge. After months of exploring how to reunite the family and spending thousands of dollars on lawyers, Mr. Harrell has decided to leave his small congregation, sell his house and join his wife in Honduras. He will be a missionary for his church for a fraction of the $40,000 a year he makes as a minister.
wallpaper ducati diavel photo
sad_angel
05-17 11:51 PM
i filed i-130 for my husband ( he is not in the u.s ) and it has been pending for 20 months . 2 months ago they sent the file to the local office in L.A and 20 days ago they transferred the file to the NBC . is this normal plz :( ????
bhatt
12-16 02:12 PM
A freind of mine had two years EAD and don't have H1 anymore. His drivers License was denied as EAD is not considered a valid document for drivers License extention.
This happened in Wayne , NJ.
I too will be going for the renewal soon. Did anyone else faced similar situtation. If yes, how did they resolve?
Try a different DMV. Some of the officers even does not know what is EAD or AOS. Recently I tried my local DMV it didn't go through then I went to Trenton, it was just a 2 min Job for them.
This happened in Wayne , NJ.
I too will be going for the renewal soon. Did anyone else faced similar situtation. If yes, how did they resolve?
Try a different DMV. Some of the officers even does not know what is EAD or AOS. Recently I tried my local DMV it didn't go through then I went to Trenton, it was just a 2 min Job for them.
2011 2011 Ducati Diavel Sportbike
vdlrao
04-08 02:25 PM
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/LPR_FR_2007.pdf
Employment preferences, including principals and their dependents, represented 15 percent of the total LPR flow in 2007, up from 13 percent in 2006. The LPR flow for employment preferences increased 2 percent from 159,081 in 2006 to 162,176 in 2007, but was below the record of 246,877 set in 2005. The large num-ber of LPRs in the employment preferences in 2005 was primarily due to the American Competitiveness in the 21 Century Act of st2000 (AC21). This Act resulted in the recapture of 130,107 unused employment-based visa numbers from 1999 and 2000 to be made available to first, second, and third preference employment-based immigrants once the annual limit had been reached. Approximately 94,000 of those recaptured visa numbers were used in 2005, none were used in 2006, and 7,312 were used in 2007. In addition, provisions of the REAL ID Act of 2005 resulted in the recapture of 50,000 unused employment-based visas from 2001 to 2004, of which 11,950 were used in 2005, 33,335 were used in 2006, and 4,743 were used in 2007.
Employment preferences, including principals and their dependents, represented 15 percent of the total LPR flow in 2007, up from 13 percent in 2006. The LPR flow for employment preferences increased 2 percent from 159,081 in 2006 to 162,176 in 2007, but was below the record of 246,877 set in 2005. The large num-ber of LPRs in the employment preferences in 2005 was primarily due to the American Competitiveness in the 21 Century Act of st2000 (AC21). This Act resulted in the recapture of 130,107 unused employment-based visa numbers from 1999 and 2000 to be made available to first, second, and third preference employment-based immigrants once the annual limit had been reached. Approximately 94,000 of those recaptured visa numbers were used in 2005, none were used in 2006, and 7,312 were used in 2007. In addition, provisions of the REAL ID Act of 2005 resulted in the recapture of 50,000 unused employment-based visas from 2001 to 2004, of which 11,950 were used in 2005, 33,335 were used in 2006, and 4,743 were used in 2007.
more...
tinkugadu
07-04 09:27 PM
My state in four lines
1) Came to US on F-1 Visa, never completed my masters
2) Shifted to H-1B and i have been with the same client and havent been to India for four years.
3) Now i am doing part time MBA from a top Ivy league school and i have $40,000 in loans from my MBA. i have not finished it as yet.
4) Applied for labor and priority date is Jan 2007 and i wanted to apply for 1-485 and AP and Skip H-1B stamping
But because of the july 2nd i cant do that anymore and i will have to go to H-1B stamping. I wonder what will happen if my stamping gets rejected. If dont attend classes for 4 months. My student loan will start asking for monthly payments. I am in a quagmire.
But still i have decided that i will go to India in any case and if payments become overdue for more months. I dont know what to do.
I had so many hoped on the current numbers . Any idea guys what can i do?
1) Came to US on F-1 Visa, never completed my masters
2) Shifted to H-1B and i have been with the same client and havent been to India for four years.
3) Now i am doing part time MBA from a top Ivy league school and i have $40,000 in loans from my MBA. i have not finished it as yet.
4) Applied for labor and priority date is Jan 2007 and i wanted to apply for 1-485 and AP and Skip H-1B stamping
But because of the july 2nd i cant do that anymore and i will have to go to H-1B stamping. I wonder what will happen if my stamping gets rejected. If dont attend classes for 4 months. My student loan will start asking for monthly payments. I am in a quagmire.
But still i have decided that i will go to India in any case and if payments become overdue for more months. I dont know what to do.
I had so many hoped on the current numbers . Any idea guys what can i do?
GCNirvana007
10-08 04:50 PM
Your question is not clear. Your employer is whoever you are employed with right now. If you are not employed with either company A or company B, then neither is your employer.
Yeah question is what defines employment with them?
Yeah question is what defines employment with them?
more...
diptam
08-10 11:59 AM
My check has a temp address of NJ - After that my address changed 3 times ... I didn't even mention that address in G325 because i stayed there for 30 days temporarily ....
Am i screwed ? This thing is going beyond Limit now... They are NOT leaving any option other than settling to other countries like CANADA or Europe...
I got the info from my friends attorney.
i want to verify it with my attorney but he is not lifiting phone. he is too busy
Am i screwed ? This thing is going beyond Limit now... They are NOT leaving any option other than settling to other countries like CANADA or Europe...
I got the info from my friends attorney.
i want to verify it with my attorney but he is not lifiting phone. he is too busy
2010 2011 Ducati Diavel at EICMA
eastindia
05-14 02:15 PM
Many blame immigration pressures for young man’s suicide - The Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2010/05/10/many_blame_immigration_pressures_for_young_mans_su icide/)
MARLBOROUGH � In the grief-stricken search for answers, one thing was clear: Gustavo Rezende had hit a wall. He had dreamed of joining the military, getting a driver�s license, and becoming an American citizen.
But the 19-year-old Brazil native was in the country illegally, a hard fact that put his dreams out of reach.
At Marlborough High School, he was popular, a talented artist. Then his friends went off to college and Rezende stayed behind, stocking bottles of soda at a sports complex. He got into trouble with the law and feared deportation to a country he hardly knew.
On March 4, weeks before Rezende�s 20th birthday, police found him hanging from a tree in the woods near his house, next to Marlborough District Court.
The stunning public act, within sight of court clerks and commuters, has shaken a community and triggered an anguished cry for help from his family and friends, who believe Rezende killed himself in despair over his immigration status.
�He always said, �I�ve been here 11 years and I have no rights. . . . I have no right to a driver�s license, no right to continue studying, I have no rights to anything,��� said his mother, Deusuita, weeping on her couch, near an array of photographs of her son. She added, �I don�t want what happened to my son to happen to someone else.��
Immigrant groups have invoked Rezende�s death in the heated debate over illegal immigration. They have increasingly been pushing for Congress to pass the Dream Act, federal legislation pending since 2001 that would allow immigrant youths to apply for legal residency if they arrived in the United States before they turned 16, lived here for five years, and enrolled in college or the military.
�The story about Gustavo Rezende is one of the most compelling cases for immediate federal action to end suffering in our communities,�� said Kyle de Beausset, a 24-year-old activist who said he met last Sunday with Senator Scott Brown to urge him to support the legislation.
Others say Rezende�s death should not factor into the debate, since nobody can say why he took his own life. Though friends and family said he often worried about his immigration status, he didn�t mention it in a note he left at home saying where they could find him.
�It�s exploiting the dead,�� said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, which favors stricter controls over immigration. �You can�t second-guess that stuff because suicide is not a rational response that you can somehow adjust policy to address.��
Colin Reed, a Brown spokesman, said the senator confirmed the meeting with de Beausset and would review the Dream Act. Reed said Brown told de Beausset that he favors streamlining the process for legal immigrants but remains opposed to amnesty for those here illegally.Continued...
Health care workers say suicide is usually the result of more than one issue, such as undiagnosed depression, mental illness, or drug and alcohol problems. But, they say, undocumented youths may be at greater risk because they are ineligible for many programs that might help them.
Rezende, nicknamed �Goose,�� was born in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and came to the United States when he was 9 with his parents and younger sister on visas they later overstayed.
In 2000, his mother applied for legal residency through work � she cooked for a Brazilian restaurant � but was denied, she said, because her boss was underpaying taxes. She vowed to continue trying, though her marriage ended because her husband wanted to go back to Brazil.
�The kids didn�t want to go,�� she said. �They liked it here as if it were their country.��
In Marlborough, a small city of tidy houses centered on two scenic lakes, Rezende grew from a chubby boy into a fit and charming teenager who loved to draw, listen to music, and hang out with friends. He and one of his best friends, Kyle Hedin, planned to open an animation company someday.
During most of his schooling, Rezende did not face questions about his immigration status because a 1982 Supreme Court ruling allows undocumented students to attend public schools. But that protection ends after high school, making him ineligible for financial aid for college.
Even before graduation, Rezende felt the pressure of his family�s predicament. He helped his mother clean offices at night, leaving little time for homework. He fell behind in school. When he was 17, police were called to his house after he argued with his sister and punched a hole in a door.
After he graduated in 2008, he tried to find work at a supermarket and fast-food restaurants � but most turned him down because he didn�t have a green card. Finally, through a friend, he found work at an ice skating complex. He also got a part-time cleaning job.
Kyle Hedin said Rezende wished he could have the same opportunities as his former classmates.
�He always said, �These kids go to school. They go to college, and they complain about it and they don�t do anything worthwhile,� �� Hedin said. �He was saying he would trade shoes with them in a heartbeat.��
In February, Marlborough police found Rezende trying to change a flat tire, while allegedly intoxicated. Police arrested him on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving without a license.
The March 17 hearing in the case weighed on his mind. He had been caught with a fake driver�s license from Brazil, and his mother said he feared he would be deported.
He had talked about suicide in the past, including in the weeks before his death, according to friends and the police report filed after his death.
�He had a hard time asking for help for himself,�� said Jane Hedin, Kyle�s mother. �That�s what�s heartbreaking. . . . He had so many friends he didn�t reach out to. Everybody loved him.��
Mario Rodas of the Student Immigrant Movement, an advocacy group, said immigrant youths often fear deportation if they talk about their problems. The group regularly holds support groups to help the students.
�We tell them not to give up,�� Rodas said.
Two days before he died, his mother said, Rezende couldn�t sleep. He was nauseous and called in sick to work.
The next day, his grandmother arrived for a visit from Brazil, the first time he had seen her since he left in 1999. In the early evening, Rezende hugged his grandmother, kissed his sister, and left the house carrying a rope, according to police, saying only that he �needed it.��
Police found him the next morning about 150 feet into the woods, in a tree he used to climb, a dusting of snow on the ground.
About six weeks after his death, Rezende received a letter from the US government telling him to register for the draft. It wasn�t a mistake: Federal law requires that all men ages 18-26 register with the Selective Service System, including illegal immigrants who cannot serve in the military, said agency spokesman Patrick Schuback.
Registering could help illegal immigrants if they ever apply for legal residency, he said, because it would show that they followed the law.
At home, his mother clutched the letter and wept.
�If that letter had arrived before, he would have been so happy,�� she said.
Maria Sacchetti can be reached at msacchetti@globe.com.
MARLBOROUGH � In the grief-stricken search for answers, one thing was clear: Gustavo Rezende had hit a wall. He had dreamed of joining the military, getting a driver�s license, and becoming an American citizen.
But the 19-year-old Brazil native was in the country illegally, a hard fact that put his dreams out of reach.
At Marlborough High School, he was popular, a talented artist. Then his friends went off to college and Rezende stayed behind, stocking bottles of soda at a sports complex. He got into trouble with the law and feared deportation to a country he hardly knew.
On March 4, weeks before Rezende�s 20th birthday, police found him hanging from a tree in the woods near his house, next to Marlborough District Court.
The stunning public act, within sight of court clerks and commuters, has shaken a community and triggered an anguished cry for help from his family and friends, who believe Rezende killed himself in despair over his immigration status.
�He always said, �I�ve been here 11 years and I have no rights. . . . I have no right to a driver�s license, no right to continue studying, I have no rights to anything,��� said his mother, Deusuita, weeping on her couch, near an array of photographs of her son. She added, �I don�t want what happened to my son to happen to someone else.��
Immigrant groups have invoked Rezende�s death in the heated debate over illegal immigration. They have increasingly been pushing for Congress to pass the Dream Act, federal legislation pending since 2001 that would allow immigrant youths to apply for legal residency if they arrived in the United States before they turned 16, lived here for five years, and enrolled in college or the military.
�The story about Gustavo Rezende is one of the most compelling cases for immediate federal action to end suffering in our communities,�� said Kyle de Beausset, a 24-year-old activist who said he met last Sunday with Senator Scott Brown to urge him to support the legislation.
Others say Rezende�s death should not factor into the debate, since nobody can say why he took his own life. Though friends and family said he often worried about his immigration status, he didn�t mention it in a note he left at home saying where they could find him.
�It�s exploiting the dead,�� said Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington, which favors stricter controls over immigration. �You can�t second-guess that stuff because suicide is not a rational response that you can somehow adjust policy to address.��
Colin Reed, a Brown spokesman, said the senator confirmed the meeting with de Beausset and would review the Dream Act. Reed said Brown told de Beausset that he favors streamlining the process for legal immigrants but remains opposed to amnesty for those here illegally.Continued...
Health care workers say suicide is usually the result of more than one issue, such as undiagnosed depression, mental illness, or drug and alcohol problems. But, they say, undocumented youths may be at greater risk because they are ineligible for many programs that might help them.
Rezende, nicknamed �Goose,�� was born in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and came to the United States when he was 9 with his parents and younger sister on visas they later overstayed.
In 2000, his mother applied for legal residency through work � she cooked for a Brazilian restaurant � but was denied, she said, because her boss was underpaying taxes. She vowed to continue trying, though her marriage ended because her husband wanted to go back to Brazil.
�The kids didn�t want to go,�� she said. �They liked it here as if it were their country.��
In Marlborough, a small city of tidy houses centered on two scenic lakes, Rezende grew from a chubby boy into a fit and charming teenager who loved to draw, listen to music, and hang out with friends. He and one of his best friends, Kyle Hedin, planned to open an animation company someday.
During most of his schooling, Rezende did not face questions about his immigration status because a 1982 Supreme Court ruling allows undocumented students to attend public schools. But that protection ends after high school, making him ineligible for financial aid for college.
Even before graduation, Rezende felt the pressure of his family�s predicament. He helped his mother clean offices at night, leaving little time for homework. He fell behind in school. When he was 17, police were called to his house after he argued with his sister and punched a hole in a door.
After he graduated in 2008, he tried to find work at a supermarket and fast-food restaurants � but most turned him down because he didn�t have a green card. Finally, through a friend, he found work at an ice skating complex. He also got a part-time cleaning job.
Kyle Hedin said Rezende wished he could have the same opportunities as his former classmates.
�He always said, �These kids go to school. They go to college, and they complain about it and they don�t do anything worthwhile,� �� Hedin said. �He was saying he would trade shoes with them in a heartbeat.��
In February, Marlborough police found Rezende trying to change a flat tire, while allegedly intoxicated. Police arrested him on misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence and driving without a license.
The March 17 hearing in the case weighed on his mind. He had been caught with a fake driver�s license from Brazil, and his mother said he feared he would be deported.
He had talked about suicide in the past, including in the weeks before his death, according to friends and the police report filed after his death.
�He had a hard time asking for help for himself,�� said Jane Hedin, Kyle�s mother. �That�s what�s heartbreaking. . . . He had so many friends he didn�t reach out to. Everybody loved him.��
Mario Rodas of the Student Immigrant Movement, an advocacy group, said immigrant youths often fear deportation if they talk about their problems. The group regularly holds support groups to help the students.
�We tell them not to give up,�� Rodas said.
Two days before he died, his mother said, Rezende couldn�t sleep. He was nauseous and called in sick to work.
The next day, his grandmother arrived for a visit from Brazil, the first time he had seen her since he left in 1999. In the early evening, Rezende hugged his grandmother, kissed his sister, and left the house carrying a rope, according to police, saying only that he �needed it.��
Police found him the next morning about 150 feet into the woods, in a tree he used to climb, a dusting of snow on the ground.
About six weeks after his death, Rezende received a letter from the US government telling him to register for the draft. It wasn�t a mistake: Federal law requires that all men ages 18-26 register with the Selective Service System, including illegal immigrants who cannot serve in the military, said agency spokesman Patrick Schuback.
Registering could help illegal immigrants if they ever apply for legal residency, he said, because it would show that they followed the law.
At home, his mother clutched the letter and wept.
�If that letter had arrived before, he would have been so happy,�� she said.
Maria Sacchetti can be reached at msacchetti@globe.com.
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gc28262
07-29 11:04 PM
I don't think that dude knows what he is talking about. Anyway EB1 cases ARE separate from EB2/EB3 and ARE adjudicated separately than the rest. That's why it is current and I don't know what more that dude wanted...Just few months here and there in adjudication process of EB1 cases...so what? In this whole mess of years and years of waiting for others, what's the big deal?
This particular EB1 gc aspirant has been waiting for his gc even after 2-3 years of his PD becoming current. He don't want EB1 applications to be subjected to the processing times set for EB2/EB3 etc.
His point is, it does not make sense to wait 2-3 years for a GC once his date is current.
This particular EB1 gc aspirant has been waiting for his gc even after 2-3 years of his PD becoming current. He don't want EB1 applications to be subjected to the processing times set for EB2/EB3 etc.
His point is, it does not make sense to wait 2-3 years for a GC once his date is current.
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GCcomesoon
03-14 01:20 PM
Hi
Are there any updates to the Bill that is being discussed right now ? I mean we have updates saying that they are discussing illegal immigration, border security, etc. I guess all of us are waiting to see & hear if something about us is getting discussed there. Something which would benefit our own community.
Please don't get me wrong, but many people hopefully look at the posts everyday thinking that there might be an update which might benefit thier case.I would urge & request someone from core members to give continuous updates.That would also eliminate lot of doubts especially amongst groups who are not very clear on the immigration voice activities.
Thanks
GCcomesoon
Are there any updates to the Bill that is being discussed right now ? I mean we have updates saying that they are discussing illegal immigration, border security, etc. I guess all of us are waiting to see & hear if something about us is getting discussed there. Something which would benefit our own community.
Please don't get me wrong, but many people hopefully look at the posts everyday thinking that there might be an update which might benefit thier case.I would urge & request someone from core members to give continuous updates.That would also eliminate lot of doubts especially amongst groups who are not very clear on the immigration voice activities.
Thanks
GCcomesoon
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ilikekilo
04-13 10:07 AM
I have recently switched the job using AC21. I have to move my 401K from my old previous company but here is the issue: in my new company I will not be eligible for the 401 till I complete 6 months with the new company.
If thinking of moving it to IRA account, please let me know what is the procedure involved?
I will really appreciate if some can suggest me what are my other options.
Thanks,
not sure who your old company's brokerage firm is however u should be able to shit all ur 401k to a roth IRA or whatever, however iam not sure abth te tax consequences...calling them is the best way to get ot know more
If thinking of moving it to IRA account, please let me know what is the procedure involved?
I will really appreciate if some can suggest me what are my other options.
Thanks,
not sure who your old company's brokerage firm is however u should be able to shit all ur 401k to a roth IRA or whatever, however iam not sure abth te tax consequences...calling them is the best way to get ot know more
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cooler
12-16 10:01 AM
This must be a "NJ" thing. I had mine renewed a few months back and all I showed was the 2 year EAD. No questions were asked.
I would suggest taking the I-485 receipt and the printout of the case from USCIS website showing the application as pending. If need be, talk to the supervisor to get this sorted out.
I would suggest taking the I-485 receipt and the printout of the case from USCIS website showing the application as pending. If need be, talk to the supervisor to get this sorted out.
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chanduv23
11-19 03:36 PM
Looks like this is the system that USCIS has been saying they are working on to identify pending cases.
Now, what if your case is pending and your Attorney is not a AILA member or you do not use an Attorney?
Now, what if your case is pending and your Attorney is not a AILA member or you do not use an Attorney?
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satyasrd
03-30 03:57 PM
I am not really sure why this really makes a difference. My perm was approved in EB3 in about 7 months but if I have to wait 30 years to get a GC what difference does it make ?!?
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krishnam70
03-26 12:28 AM
My case details below:
EB3 INDIA
PD of Jul 2004.
I am still working for same GC sponsoring employer since last 5 years. I still perform the same job title/job duties as mentioned in labor.
My employer had mentioned a salary of 87,000$ in my labor. --> what does your H1 LCA say?
My 485 was filed way back in Sep 2004. OK
My 140 was approved way back in Nov 2004. GOOD
I have had 2 FPs done and 1 RFE replied to about 2 years ago. RFE was for EVL & TB Skin test.you are good here
2004 W2 – shows 74,000$/yr (Less than the salary mentioned in approved labor which is 87,000$) --> your current employment is on H1B/A or whatever you need to be worried about the salary mentioned there
2005 W2 – shows 57,000$/yrsame as above
2006 W2 – shows 50,000$/yrsame as above
2007 W2 – shows 58,000$/yrsame as above
2008 W2 – shows 67,000$/yrsame as above
Never changed employers nor job titles. good
My concerns and questions below:
Q1) Will my 485 approval be affected due to the W2’s as mentioned above showing less way less salary than mentioned in the labor. I still work for same employer with same job duties/title as mentioned in labor. YES if your salary is less than what is on your H1B/A LCA application if not then you should be fine
Q2) Am I safe because GC is intended for future job offer? If there is any issue with me getting less salary all these years than my labor petition then can my employer say the 87,000$/yr salary is after 485 approval? Will this suffice? Or am I in jeopardy here? same as above, GC is future job you will be fine
Q3) With my EB3-India Jul 2004 PD how much more long do you think I need to wait to see a 485 approval? My FBI name checks are cleared.only USCIS can tell
Q4) With June 2004 PD/EB3 India do you advise me at this stage after 5 years to switch to CP? How will it help? talk to an attorney
Q5) Would you advise me to start a brand new EB2 India labor and 140 considering my retrogressed eb3 India category and dates?you can try but i this current scenario it might be difficult to get PERM approved and then your company needs to prove you are eligible for EB2. If they can and you are eligible you can port your PD and you should be almost current.
Q6) I have been on bench for about 3 times (periods of 2 to 3 months) in the last several years witout pay. But I have always had EAD but never used EAD as I had H1B from same GC sponsoring employer. But I always got paid every year more than the prevailing LCA wage for my geographical location? Will this affect my GC? Technically there is nothing such as bench. You should get paid. However there seems to be an interpretation that in a current year if you get paid more than what is mentioned in your LCA(H1) you are safe. I would speak to an attorney about this.
Thanks.
- cheers
kris
EB3 INDIA
PD of Jul 2004.
I am still working for same GC sponsoring employer since last 5 years. I still perform the same job title/job duties as mentioned in labor.
My employer had mentioned a salary of 87,000$ in my labor. --> what does your H1 LCA say?
My 485 was filed way back in Sep 2004. OK
My 140 was approved way back in Nov 2004. GOOD
I have had 2 FPs done and 1 RFE replied to about 2 years ago. RFE was for EVL & TB Skin test.you are good here
2004 W2 – shows 74,000$/yr (Less than the salary mentioned in approved labor which is 87,000$) --> your current employment is on H1B/A or whatever you need to be worried about the salary mentioned there
2005 W2 – shows 57,000$/yrsame as above
2006 W2 – shows 50,000$/yrsame as above
2007 W2 – shows 58,000$/yrsame as above
2008 W2 – shows 67,000$/yrsame as above
Never changed employers nor job titles. good
My concerns and questions below:
Q1) Will my 485 approval be affected due to the W2’s as mentioned above showing less way less salary than mentioned in the labor. I still work for same employer with same job duties/title as mentioned in labor. YES if your salary is less than what is on your H1B/A LCA application if not then you should be fine
Q2) Am I safe because GC is intended for future job offer? If there is any issue with me getting less salary all these years than my labor petition then can my employer say the 87,000$/yr salary is after 485 approval? Will this suffice? Or am I in jeopardy here? same as above, GC is future job you will be fine
Q3) With my EB3-India Jul 2004 PD how much more long do you think I need to wait to see a 485 approval? My FBI name checks are cleared.only USCIS can tell
Q4) With June 2004 PD/EB3 India do you advise me at this stage after 5 years to switch to CP? How will it help? talk to an attorney
Q5) Would you advise me to start a brand new EB2 India labor and 140 considering my retrogressed eb3 India category and dates?you can try but i this current scenario it might be difficult to get PERM approved and then your company needs to prove you are eligible for EB2. If they can and you are eligible you can port your PD and you should be almost current.
Q6) I have been on bench for about 3 times (periods of 2 to 3 months) in the last several years witout pay. But I have always had EAD but never used EAD as I had H1B from same GC sponsoring employer. But I always got paid every year more than the prevailing LCA wage for my geographical location? Will this affect my GC? Technically there is nothing such as bench. You should get paid. However there seems to be an interpretation that in a current year if you get paid more than what is mentioned in your LCA(H1) you are safe. I would speak to an attorney about this.
Thanks.
- cheers
kris
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GC_newbee
10-29 09:03 PM
^bump
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frostrated
07-11 12:09 PM
I see dark every where for EB3 until we do something there is no hope guys.....
This is really suc...............
actually, i think that the EB3 will also make rapid advances come October.
with the quota exhausted for this year, and the pre-adjudication taking place and with most of the EB3 India applicants having received their GC between 2002 and 2005, i think the dates will advance to 2003 by Dec and to mid 2004 by Feb/March. After that, it is anyone's guess if the quota for India will hold out. As for me, I see at least another year or two wait for my GC, unless the Congress passes a miracle.
This is really suc...............
actually, i think that the EB3 will also make rapid advances come October.
with the quota exhausted for this year, and the pre-adjudication taking place and with most of the EB3 India applicants having received their GC between 2002 and 2005, i think the dates will advance to 2003 by Dec and to mid 2004 by Feb/March. After that, it is anyone's guess if the quota for India will hold out. As for me, I see at least another year or two wait for my GC, unless the Congress passes a miracle.
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bekugc
12-11 08:00 PM
as for Mohits qn. i agree with pragirs' answer.
during AC21, if new job description is similar to orig LC thing, and if the new cmpany can put that on paper in offer or empl letter, this shud be enuf... a colleague of mine, who was a developer had his LC as a programmer, after 485 apply/180days/Ead etc, he lost his client and my company waited for 3 weeks & laid him off...he used ac21 and joined a small company, who gave him a QA job, but on paper it was put exactly as what orig LC said. in the july flood, he got his GC, no qns asked.
as for difference in salary, i remember in one of the free teleconf calls done by a prominent attorney , he said if u move from one geographic loc to another, then diff in stds of living etc will allow for same job desc to have pretty diff salary ranges. but if u chg in same geography and have significantly diff salary, it may raise eyebrow...but again what significant means is Gray...
during AC21, if new job description is similar to orig LC thing, and if the new cmpany can put that on paper in offer or empl letter, this shud be enuf... a colleague of mine, who was a developer had his LC as a programmer, after 485 apply/180days/Ead etc, he lost his client and my company waited for 3 weeks & laid him off...he used ac21 and joined a small company, who gave him a QA job, but on paper it was put exactly as what orig LC said. in the july flood, he got his GC, no qns asked.
as for difference in salary, i remember in one of the free teleconf calls done by a prominent attorney , he said if u move from one geographic loc to another, then diff in stds of living etc will allow for same job desc to have pretty diff salary ranges. but if u chg in same geography and have significantly diff salary, it may raise eyebrow...but again what significant means is Gray...
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redelite
08-26 10:07 AM
I want a smug smiley.
Also, the 'mad' one, :m: looks more like a steaming bun than an angry face ; )
I made this one the other day and put it up..http://www.kirupa.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=47648&stc=1&d=1219355088
Not sure if that's quite what your looking for... but he's pretty angry :P
Also, the 'mad' one, :m: looks more like a steaming bun than an angry face ; )
I made this one the other day and put it up..http://www.kirupa.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=47648&stc=1&d=1219355088
Not sure if that's quite what your looking for... but he's pretty angry :P
thomachan72
10-04 03:09 PM
That was for Indian residents, don't think IRS recognizes PF, it wouldn't get tax benefit here. 8% FD after tax is still 5.5% annual interest.
Without a green card, we are still temporary workers, check with a tax consultant about worldwide income too.
Yes I meant tax deduction under Indian income tax not IRS.
Also I checked online and the max deposit permitted per anum into the PPF acount is only Rs 70 thousand. I am not sure yet whether NRI can deposit.
Without a green card, we are still temporary workers, check with a tax consultant about worldwide income too.
Yes I meant tax deduction under Indian income tax not IRS.
Also I checked online and the max deposit permitted per anum into the PPF acount is only Rs 70 thousand. I am not sure yet whether NRI can deposit.
aamchimumbai
07-23 12:05 AM
All,
I feel that those who concurrently filed I-140/485 in July 2007 are very lucky!
Here is my situation -
Previous Employer -
EB3,PD-Jan'04,I-140 cleared. Switched in June 2007 and wasn't able to file I-485 in July 2007
New Employer -
EB2, PD-Dec'-07, I-140 (Feb'08 - pending)
Question -
Based on Jun'08 Visa bulletin the dates for EB2-India were at Apr'04. Filed for I-140/485 based on my old priority date for EB3 labor (Jan'04). Explaining USCIS for PD transfer.
Well, folks at NSC did not understand the PD transfer concept and send my application back. Unclear as to what do now. I guess need to wait until the dates for EB2-India reach Dec'07 such that I can file.
Any "Creative" thoughts on how to approach USCIS moving forward.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Aamchimumbai
I feel that those who concurrently filed I-140/485 in July 2007 are very lucky!
Here is my situation -
Previous Employer -
EB3,PD-Jan'04,I-140 cleared. Switched in June 2007 and wasn't able to file I-485 in July 2007
New Employer -
EB2, PD-Dec'-07, I-140 (Feb'08 - pending)
Question -
Based on Jun'08 Visa bulletin the dates for EB2-India were at Apr'04. Filed for I-140/485 based on my old priority date for EB3 labor (Jan'04). Explaining USCIS for PD transfer.
Well, folks at NSC did not understand the PD transfer concept and send my application back. Unclear as to what do now. I guess need to wait until the dates for EB2-India reach Dec'07 such that I can file.
Any "Creative" thoughts on how to approach USCIS moving forward.
Thanks in advance for your replies.
Aamchimumbai
